suburb.guide

QLD · Cairns Council

Palm Cove, 4879

Current weather

21.5°CMainly clear

81% humidity · 13.3 km/h wind · 25.6° / 19.9° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

54.5/100
Average

Top 22% of Queensland's suburbs

62% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Green suburb
  • Cycling
  • High desirability
What Palm Cove is known for: Coastal, Green suburb, Cycling, High desirability

Suburb profile

Palm Cove wears its coastal identity openly, a smaller community built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Salt air and open horizons give the suburb a relaxed, outdoor feel year-round.

Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Coffee, casual meals and neighbourhood eateries give the suburb a lived-in social scene. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.

Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because housing affordability and community and employment lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space and safety.

Population

Population
2,450
Median age
53
Median household income / week
$1,527
Dwelling vacancy
26.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
353 of 1,353
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
53%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
79 / 118 / 212

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$600

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
51
Against the person
9
Against property
33
Rate per 1,000 residents
20.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 272 residents
State safety percentile
13.9th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-6.7%

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Assault50
  • Other Property Damage33
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)67
  • Unlawful Entry131
  • Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle56

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates

Amenities

93 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Liquorland ExpressAlcohol
  • ATM (2)
  • Bbq (4)
  • Bench (3)
  • Bicycle Parking
  • Bus stop
  • Cairns Tropical ZooBus stop
  • Cedar Street near Coral Coast DriveBus stop
  • Veivers Road at Captain Cook HighwayBus stop
  • Veivers Road at Talpa CloseBus stop

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Argentea ParkPark
  • Goldfinch ParkPark
  • Tom McDonald ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
2
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Palm Cove Healthclinic
  • Pharmacypharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
20
Parks (OSM)
5

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
54.5/100 — Average
State standing
Top 22% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
1438th in Australia
State rank
322nd in QLD
Peer rank
#19 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#45 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
62%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • ATMamenitiesatm
  • ATMamenitiesatm
  • Aloha Bar & Grillamenitiesrestaurant
  • Apres Beach Bar & Grillamenities119 Williams Esplanade, Palm Coverestaurant
  • Australia Postamenitiespost_office
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Beach Almondamenitiesrestaurant

Data sources & freshness

More in Cairns Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.